UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas requests continued support of a predoctoral Molecular Biophysics Training Grant. The Training Grant provides support for selected graduate students in the Graduate Program in Molecular Biophysics (GPMB), one of the eight graduate programs within the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology (DCMB), which recruits students on behalf of all of its programs. The GPMB comprises an interdisciplinary group of 32 faculty members, derived from five basic science departments, two clinical departments and three centers, who share a common interest in the physical basis of biological phenomena. Structural biology, historically a strength of the Program, has recently been enhanced by an expanded emphasis in macromolecular NMR spectroscopy. Computational and mathematical biology is also an emerging focus in the Program, inspiring the formation of a Computational Biology Training Track. During the first year of graduate study, all DCMB students undertake a comprehensive core course that is UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas requests continued support of a predoctoral Molecular Biophysics Training Grant. The Training Grant provides support for selected graduate students in the Graduate Program in Molecular Biophysics (GPMB), one of the eight graduate programs within the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology (DCMB), which recruits students on behalf of all of its programs. The GPMB comprises an interdisciplinary group of 32 faculty members, derived from five basic science departments, organized into thematic "threads", focused on topics in biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology as well as discussion of the scientific literature, ethics, and scientific writing. During this period, students also complete three research rotations. Students enter the GPMB in the late spring of their first year of graduate study and affiliate with a research mentor. Activities towards the Ph.D. include (1) participation in an advanced curriculum that emphasizes mathematical, theoretical and methodological training in biophysics, (2) attendance and participation in seminars, journal clubs, a stimulating Biophysical Discussions series and the yearly Program retreat, (3) a Qualifying Examination consisting of an oral defense of a written research proposal that closely follows the format of an NIH RO1 proposal, and (4) intensive research training culminating in the defense of a doctoral dissertation. The research environment at UT Southwestern is highly collaborative, such that students are typically exposed to a variety of experimental approaches in different laboratory settings. Now in its 15th year, the GPMB has doubled in student enrollment since 1998. The success of the Program is reflected in the number of graduates who have embarked on careers in academic research or in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, or who are in postdoctoral training in outstanding research laboratories. [unreadable] [unreadable]